The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-08-17
The Useful Travellers Tree.


A European traveller, on his way from
the coast of Madagascar to the capital,
Tananarivo, in the interior, had emptied
his water flask and was suffering from
thirst. He asked one of the natives Of
his party where he should obtain water,
says the rosfh's Companion. Any time
you Ike said the native smiling. The
European saw no sign of springs or water
but the natives conducted him TO group
Of tall, palm-like trees standing in clus-
Ter on the edge of the forest, with
straigh, trunks and bright green, broad
leaves, growing from the opposite sides
of the stalk, and making the tree ap-
pear like n great fan. The white man
gazed admiringly at the tree You
think it is fine tree" slid the native,
but | will show you what it is good for
He pierced the root of one Of the leaf
stems, at point where it joined the tree,
with his spear, whereupon stream of
cold water spurted out, which the Euro
pean caught in his water can and found
cool, fresh, and excellent 10 drink.
The party having satisfied their thirst
and taken supply the native who had
spoken went on:
This tree, which is good for us in
more ways than one, we call the travel
er's tree
:. But where does the water come from
that the tree contains?" asked the white
man. Is it taken up from the soil? ?"
"Oh, no. said the native. "The leaves
drink in the rain that fall on them, and
when it has passed all through them it
becomes very pure and sweet"
And are there many of these trees on
the island 2"
'There are so many that sometimes
one sees no other trees for a mile, and
very often we take no provision or water
when we travel, because we know that
We shall find the travellers tree"
And you say there are other things
that they are good for"
The native answered by asking another
question.
+" DO you remember" he said, " the
village that we passed through this
morning, with its wooden huts rooted
over with leaves? Those huts We're made
of nothing but the travellers tree. The
wood splits easily, but makes tough
planks for floors, and the wallis of the
houses are made of bark
With the branches we make the raft
ers, and the leaves cover the roof But
this il not all tAat the good tree does.
We are coming soon to village whose
people l know, and will show you
more
The native was eager in his haste to
SHOW 10 the traveller what the tree had
in store ior him, and the European, for
his part, felt no little curiosity. They ar
rived soon at the village, and the guide
conducted the traveller to the hut of
friend, who received them very hospita-
bly, and soon spread meal for them.
First he placed upon sort of table Il
spread made of some vegetable substance
very light and pretty; then he set before
his guests two drinking vessels of Il ma
terial which the white man did not rec
ognize, and then he gave them two uten-
sils, which, although rude in shape,
served in the stead of knife and fork
In the midst of the table he placed
large bowl, filed with cream of very APP
petizing appearance. In another vessel
there was a quantity of oil. with almonds
floating upon it,
Before we begin, said the guide, 81
must tell you what promised. Every
thing that there Is upon this table comes
from the travellers tree. You see this
table-cloth? ? 1t is made of the tibers of
the leaves of the tree.
These drinking cups, these plates,
these knives are made of the wood bark
of the tree What you take TO be the
cream is a dish made of the seeds of the
tree, pounded up with meal and mixed
with kind of milk drawn from the
trunk of tree.
What you think almonds are little
cakes made of these seeds, and the oil is
pressed from the skin or shuck of the
seed. As for the water you are about to
drink, you know that already. And we
get only these things, but some of the
people of Madagascar have made kind
of cloth that they wear out of the fiber
of the wood